This BlogBurst piece is cross-posted by participating websites, to commemorate a milestone in Israel's history. The list of the participating sites is appended at the end of this post. TOH to Israpundit for organizing it all and providing us with this introduction:
Today is the anniversary of the UN vote on resolution 181, which
approved the partition of the western part Palestine into a
predominately Jewish state and a predominately Arab state. (It is vital
to recall that the UN partition plan referred to western Palestine, to
underscore that in 1921 the eastern part was ripped off the Jewish
National Home by the British Government and handed over to the then
Emir Abdullah.)
The partition plan was approved by 33 to 13, with 10 abstentions.
The 33 countries that cast the “Yes” vote were: Australia, Belgium,
Bolivia, Brazil, Byelorussia, Canada, Costa Rica, Czechoslovakia,
Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Haiti,
Iceland, Liberia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua,
Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Ukraine,
Union of South Africa, USSR, USA, Uruguay, Venezuela. (Among other
countries, the list includes the US, the three British Dominions, all
the European countries except for Greece and the UK, but including all
the Soviet-block countries.)
The 13 countries that chose the Hall of Shame and voted “No” were:
Afghanistan, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan,
Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Yemen. (Ten of these are Moslem countries;
Greece has the special distinction of being the only European country
to have joined the Hall of Shame.)
The ten countries that abstained are: Argentina, Chile, China,
Colombia, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Honduras, Mexico, United Kingdom,
Yugoslavia.
To all this I say:
Conventional wisdom holds that UN General Assembly Resolution 181 was instrumental in the formation of the State of Israel. Indeed, at the time of the resolution, there was much rejoicing among Jews worldwide, as the resolution was perceived to have given legitimacy to the Zionist enterprise. To this day, some assert that the UN "created" Israel and therefore has the power to take back what it once gave.
As it turned out, the resolution was nothing but an empty gesture to the Jewish people and has mostly done a disservice to Israel and indeed to the entire region. It gives the UN a dubious legacy, and it is time to reassess its actual meaning. Israel owes the United Nations nothing but contempt.
Here's why:
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